Comments on: Are Comics Detrimental to Creators?http://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/ Independent Opinions on Comics of All KindsSat, 28 Feb 2015 16:29:19 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1By: Two Great Advice Posts: Ballooning and Pitching » Comics Worth Readinghttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124935 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:38:25 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124935[…] Erin Hicks continues her glimpses into the life of a freelancer by telling you how to pitch a graphic novel to a publisher. Or how she did it, anyway. As she says, […] ]]>By: Dwight Williamshttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124750 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:09:09 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124750Let’s see if we can make it thus! ]]>By: Faithhttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124747 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:24:08 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124747Thanks Johanna. The response to my post was actually overwhelming positive, and I think it reached the audience it was intended for (young cartoonists wondering if they’d be able to make a go of the freelance thing). Just the handful of bad apples tossing rocks my way was upsetting. Bleeeehh. Buttheads on the internets??? NO WAYS!!

Anyway, it’s Friday night and I have a comic page to finish, as well as a bunch of freelance to do this weekend. The life of a cartoonist! So glamorous…

]]>By: James Scheehttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124746 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:15:14 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124746Yay me! lol No problem, I just wanted to make sure you know it wasn’t on purpose.

I blame my IPad I could have sworn I typed Hicks’ and think it may have autocorrected it. Evil invention!!! lol

]]>By: Johannahttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124744 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:03:14 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124744I think you made the best of a bad situation, Faith, and your story (and the honest way you tell it) is inspirational. ]]>By: Faithhttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124743 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:25:23 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124743No worries. Just been seeing that typo a lot, & it’s starting to bug. You got to be the one I picked on! ;) ]]>By: James Scheehttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124742 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:57:08 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124742Sorry my bad, it was a typo no offense was meant.(I was raised that if you don’t know someone you call them Ms. or Mr. and their last name)

Like I said it is your choice to make comics, so I don’t get the criticism of you for it. Especially those acting like you were freeloading on the government in order to be able to do so.

It was interesting reading to me. I’ve never really had strong interest in joining the creative side, and when someone that has had at least your level of success (has books published and is getting advances) still struggles. Well it is eye opening.

]]>By: Faithhttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124741 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:46:55 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124741Oh, and for the record, my last name is Hicks, so the possessive is Hicks’. Not Hick’s. ]]>By: Faithhttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124740 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:46:19 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124740To those acting like I left some cushy job in the animation field to go live the life of an artist hermit, hey, I wish. Animation in Nova Scotia is just now (in 2012!!!) recovering from its decimation in 2008 (FOUR YEARS AGO!!!!). What happened was a horrific perfect storm: the Writer’s Strike (many Canadian animation jobs are doing service work on American productions) shut down many productions, and there was the reduction of an important provincial tax credit which made sending a production to Nova Scotia no longer profitable for other companies (the tax credit has now since been restored. Yay!). The industry was destroyed. As I mentioned in the Beat thread, the major studio in town, which had once employed over 100 people, shut down.

So for nearly FOUR YEARS there was no work in animation. I didn’t go back to animation, instead opting to make my living as a freelance cartoonist, because there was no work.

I applied everywhere to work. There were no jobs. I applied out of province, offering to move. No takers. But oh, then First Second comes along offering me a little bit of money to draw a comic. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance? It was risky, but bird in the hand, right? It turned out to be the right decision, because, as I mentioned, there was no animation work for years. Meanwhile, I’ve managed to develop a good relationship with several publishers, and they continue to give me work. I can pay my rent, yay!

One of the most talented background painters I know sanded floors during the downtime. He’s now back working in animation, making beautiful drawings.

It’s weird all this negativity being heaped on what I said, since, y’know, I actually meant it to be a really positive post. “Hey, cartoonists, you can make a living at comics! You might have to sacrifice a bit, but you can do it. Here’s how I did it.”

I think the post reached the people it meant to, but wow, those Beat comments. I don’t even know. O_o

]]>By: James Scheehttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124732 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:49:06 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124732I wonder if people aren’t misreading Ms. Hick’s story? MY interpretation is that she was living off the EI after she was let go from the animation work, when the comic offers first came in.

Currently she is not living off EI, but has decided to not go back to animation work, in order to pursue the comic work she is getting. If that is error, then I have misread her myself.

While I as a 36 year old, who is struggling to find steady work after being laid off a well paying job, scratch my head at her risky venture. Given that there’s no guarantee that an animation job will be there if the comic work doesn’t work out.

It is her choice to make to take that leap.

A lot of people have been critical of her for doing it, but I have to think a lot of that has to be misreading if my interpretation is correct.

Heidi including her story in the piracy thing probably didn’t help either. Piracy has 0 to do with Ms. Hick’s situation currently I’d bet. She’s like any creator starting out, trying to make a name for herself, and seeing if her work has mass market appeal.

I personally enjoyed Friends With Boys a lot, her prior two books don’t sound interesting. Yet I look forward to seeing what her next one will be.

“Many” Silver Age artists did have day jobs, or had to leave comics to get steady work in Advertising. (Heck, most of the Modern artists I know work in Advertising.) And they still didn’t get benefits, because they were still treated as Freelancers.

]]>By: Brianhttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124720 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:57:03 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124720I know being a starving artist is romantic but I’m not sure that living on entitlement programs that are on the verge of bankruptcy while hoping for your comic book career ship to come in is the best way to go about it. In this day and age, a little less romance and a little more personal responsibility is probably the way to go given that the economies of the world are on the brink and all.

I have a big problem pitching in for things like Hero Initiative when many who draw from it got to where they are because of personal choices based on entitlement. There’s this thing that people do, it might sound silly, but they get jobs that they don’t necessarily enjoy because they have good benefits, and then work on their “dreams” on the weekend. I know. Total bummer.

]]>By: Dwight Williamshttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124699 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:54:08 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124699We’re going to have to put in the work to hold onto – and hopefully further improve – that support system. Because it’s worth the work. And so are we. ]]>By: Faithhttp://comicsworthreading.com/2012/01/24/are-comics-detrimental-to-creators/comment-page-1/#comment-124693 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:29:47 +0000http://comicsworthreading.com/?p=24294#comment-124693I feel like that living in Canada is probably one of the big reasons I can be a fulltime cartoonist: at least there is some support system for those without health insurance. ]]>